What would you like to buy this Christmas – something arty, something trendy, or something that’s a bit of both? Or would you like to collect something offbeat, quaint, or outlandish? Or, to put it simply, would you like to buy something oh-so-different from the usual conventional stuff?

Just hit Glebe Point Road on November 15th where will be held the annual Glebe Street Fair. Books and painting, art and jewellery, candles and toys, crafts and carvings, clothing and rugs, artefacts and curios and a thousand other strange but interesting odds and ends will be on offer along with food and fun and a lot of entertainment, what with all the buskers and the clowns!

There will be no traffic plying the road from Broadway to Bridge Road but only shoppers hunting for that special thing that they have always wanted to buy but couldn’t find anywhere else! While the adults go crazy over the knickknacks on offer, the kids can freak out on the joy rides and the fun games!

Glebe Street Fair – the right place for just the right gifts for the right people!

Christmas festivities in Darling Harbour are absolutely fun, fascinating and free! The celebrations begin on November 28, Saturday. Darling Harbour will have the tallest Christmas tree in Sydney, standing magnificently tall at 21 metres.

The Family Christmas Concert will present all the popular Christmas songs, and Santa Claus’ arrival towards the finale of the concert will add to the festive fun! The lighting of the giant tree will be done by a child from Starlight Children’s Foundation during the concert. Christmas Carols by the Tree will feature the live performance of traditional carols by the city’s best a cappella groups. Spectacular fireworks over the Cockle Bay on the Christmas Eve would add magic to the splendour!

If you are thinking beyond the free entertainment of the season, Darling Harbour is ideal for its shopping and sightseeing opportunities. The place is famous for its shops that sell artefacts, semi-precious stones and other curios. The National Maritime Museum, the Power House Museum, the Sydney Aquarium and the Sydney Wildlife World are worth a visit any time of the year.

The Harbourside would be the best place to pleasantly while away your time with its cluster of shops and eating places in the setting of the harbour. Cruising around the harbour would be a better way to experience the harbour. A showboat cruise with its total package of entertainment, sightseeing and five-star dining experience would be your best bet for the ultimate harbour experience and total value for money!

Christmas in Sydney is in the summer season. Hence celebrations of Christmas in Sydney are slightly different from those of a white Christmas.

The Christmas decorations do not include holly and mistletoe. They are substituted by Christmas bush and Christmas bell which are two decorative native plants available during the summer season. Indeed the houses in Sydney, or rather in the whole of Australia, are not as heavily decked up as those in other countries where it is winter during Christmas, as people here enjoy the warm climate and hence are not as confined to indoors!

Christmas feasts in Sydney most often include seafood and very often exclude the turkey. And often they are outdoor feasts with steaks and prawns on the barbie and cold salads!

Nowhere else would you find Santa Claus pictured in swimmers or Santa riding on a surfboard or Santa water-skiing! Thanks to the weather, people love celebrating Christmas outdoors or even on the beaches. Cruising companies offer party cruises during Christmas time to celebrate the season.

Magistic Cruises offer Christmas lunch and dinner cruises with buffets inclusive of choice seafood varieties and exceptional wine. One can hire a private deck or even a whole boat! Sydney Showboats offer cruises with cabaret shows and live jazz bands. All these offers come with group discounts.

If you are in Sydney this Christmas season, celebrate it on a cruise. Enjoy the feast, the fun and the outdoors!